What Doesn't Kill You
by RosesAreForWriters
Summary: This takes place during the episode "Birthmark". Slade returns, but is after Raven this time. Robin still does whatever he can to make sure Slade doesn't hurt her. He gets a little hurt in the process. Sight Rob/Rae.


**A/N: So here's another Robin/Raven fic. It's a sequel of sorts to my last one, but you don't have to read it for this one to make sense. Anyway, this takes place during the episode "Birthmark".**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans, and all I really want is Robin.**

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"What Doesn't Kill You"

He was sweet. He may have this tough exterior, this mysterious behavior, and he had this huge protective side to him, but Robin was about as sweet as candy. Raven saw this reiterating itself over and over again, and all she had to do was watch. Starfire could probably agree, but she wouldn't actually notice all the things Robin has done unless Raven pointed them out.

The way he and Star danced at that prom was sweet. The way Robin convinced Raven to help he others and join the Teen Titans was sweet, and cute. The way he never burdens others to listen to his feelings or his thoughts because he actually thought it was a burden, was sweet.

Today, the way he knew her well enough to know that maybe she probably didn't want a birthday party, that was more than sweet, it was amazing. Then, he followed after her, because he knew it wasn't just the birthday party that had her upset. He wanted to know what was bothering her, he wanted to help her. That made Raven feel touched, just a little bit.

Then, when she scream after a horrible version of a nightmare, within a minute he was outside her door. He was the only one to notice that she had screamed. If she were allowed to let her emotions reign free, she would have squealed and kissed his face all over. Why? She realized at that point that she finally had someone that cared about how she was. He cared to keep her safe, if not more than he cared about the other Titans.

That's why he didn't deserve to have Slade come back. That one enemy that has tormented him more than any other villain they've ever faced, he didn't deserve it. Sure, he wasn't after Robin, he was after _her_, but Slade knew that Robin wouldn't give up fighting him, until he actually _couldn't_ fight anymore. Then Slade threw him back, and he was about crushed by boulders. He didn't deserve that either.

When she found him, she knew he'd been hurt again, his shoulder included. His neck was probably messed up a little bit too. She had to put his arm around her shoulders, and they hurried to go to the church. She was sure that wouldn't be the first place Slade would look.

"How's your shoulder?" she had asked him on the way there. He didn't look at her, just kept on staring straight ahead.

"Fine. We need to keep going," he ground out, his voice full of pain. She didn't pressure him to say anything else.

When she held him, he knew there were bruises starting to form, once again. Had they not already gone through this? Slade was hurting him once again, and this time he was actually back!

She told him as much as she could get out about what was going on. He had stared at her, listening, and unbeknownst to her, was gathering the energy to sit up. When he could, he asked her the best question he could think of, and the answer he got was being thrown away again, and he landed on his back, in an awkward position.

Then, Slade took Raven outside, and it was all she could do to just run- fly- away from him. Nevertheless, he caught her. He was ruthless. He just nearly killed her best friend, only to tell her that stupid message. Why did this have to happen?

Raven tried getting away, but Slade grabbed her, pulled her around like a rag doll, and then, once he was done, he dropped her. She wouldn't have minded dying that moment, anything to maybe make sure the day would end, and her father wouldn't have anyway of getting out. Better than that though, Robin swung around, and grabbed her, and saved her. Right on time.

When they landed on the building, and he said, "let's go home," it just kind of stunted her. Maybe she had developed some sort of crush on him, but he smiled at her, when she was just a huge mess, and it made her feel…okay.

* * *

"Robin, I know you're hurt," she murmured to him on the way home. He still didn't look at her. That must've been a Robin-thing.

"It doesn't really matter though. Any injury I've obtained tonight will go away pretty soon. You've been scarred more emotionally tonight though, you're the one that needs the attention," he answered her. She looked away to hide her blush. He was hurt and all he cared about was making sure she was okay? He was the best friend she could have asked for.

"Please, Robin. Just let me help you," she whispered. He shook his head, and they kept walking.

"At least let me know what's going on inside your head," she pleaded. He sighed, and they stopped.

"He keeps coming back, and I always end up hurt somehow. When I was his apprentice, I nearly broke my shoulder, and my ankle. When I thought I was seeing him, I had so many cuts and bruises, and now, it's not even me he's after and I feel like I can hardly move my arm. I never come out on top." He sounded very pained when he spoke, but Raven knew it wasn't just physical pain that had him struggling to speak. It was like the last time he spoke.

"He's like poison to you," Raven surmised. "Well, if it keeps happening, eventually it won't be so bad, maybe not at all. You'll defeat him one day. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, you know," she smiled, and so did he.

"What doesn't kill you, will probably try again," he retorted. She laughed, and that ended their little conversation for the time being.

* * *

The second birthday party, was his idea, she was sure of it. It was most definitely Robin's idea, and doing, to put the arrows down on the floor, that led her to the living room. She didn't know why he did that. Robin had actually noticed her unnerved appearance when she arrived at the room last time. It _had_ been kind of eerie for her, he'd guessed. He was right. The arrows let her know that it was her friends' that made her go that way.

Then, when he asked her if she was okay, she was screaming in her head. _'Am _I _okay? Am I okay! You're the one who got crushed by a rock!'_ Then he started to say something about how he was sorry about what happened. He was sincerely sorry, and she tried a little harder at that second to keep her emotions down. When he said that they'd find Slade, and find out why he wanted to do what he did, she almost laughed, but in a humorless way. _'I don't think you'll have to. He'll find us,'_ she thought.

During the party, she interacted with all of her friends, and laughed, actually laughed at one of Beast Boy's jokes. She nodded and smiled a tiny bit at Starfire's, but she had no idea what some of those words were. Raven guessed one of them might be some form of alien blonde joke, but if Star was a redhead, blondes must've been the smart one's on her planet.

Raven only got away once, when Beast Boy had his turn at Put-the-Tail-on-the-Donkey. She hurried to go to the medical room, and grab just a hint of pain killers, and slip it into Robin's drink. She almost felt guilty for drugging him, but within thirty minutes his smile was a little larger, and he laughed just a little bit more. Through the bond, she allowed herself to enjoy the party more too. She didn't feel guilty anymore after that.

When the party was over, she slipped off the party hat she had been wearing, and dropped it on the floor, and it rolled to the edge of the hallway, where nobody would trip on it. She filed into her room, slipped off her cloak, and began meditating, because she was just a little wired at the minute, and she needed to get everything back under control.

She didn't expect to hear a knock on her door at…three thirty in the morning. She fell from her floating, her foot daintily touching the floor. As she walked to the door, no sound was made, other than her footsteps.

"Robin? Why are you- oh right," she remembered that she had given him some morphine, which would wear off and make him wake up. She knew this from last time he had it.

"I told you, I was fine. You didn't have to drug me. I'm pretty sure it actually has some sort of effect on my perspiration, because I don't sweat when I'm asleep unless…well you know about that." He turned his shoulder, and squeezed himself into her room, not about to take no for an answer. This was her fault, and she would just have to deal with the consequences. It took a second for her to recognize what he meant by "well you know." The nightmares, of course. That might as well be why he wanted to be in there with her in the first place.

"What makes you think my bed is still cool tonight?" she challenged as he flopped onto her bed.

"Your bed is right under a vent, remember?" he smirked. She rolled her eyes, and after standing there in resistance for a moment, relented, and padded across the room. She curled up in her bed, her back just a few inches from Robin.

"You know the joke Beast Boy told that you laughed at, was the least funny," he murmured. A smile tugged at her lips, but she resisted.

"That's why I laughed. It was _that_ bad." He chuckled, and then it was silent.

After a minute, he closed that space, mostly asleep, put an arm around her waist, and his chin was just barely touching her neck. This time, Raven was awake to feel all of it, and she smiled a little bit. Yeah, that was the sweetest thing he'd done recently.

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**A/N: So how did you like it? Please let me know by reviewing, or some other way. I really enjoyed writing this!**

**~RosesAreForWriters**


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